Apparatus for packing rectangular block-shaped articles in cartons



Dec. 22, 1959 D. R. P. JACKSON APPARATUS FOR PACKING RECTANGULAR BLOCK-SHAPED ARTICLES IN CARTONS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 14, 1958 Dec. 22, 1959 2,918,279

R. P. JACKSON APPARATUS FOR PACKING RECTANGULAR BLOCK-SHAPED ARTICLES IN CARTONS Filed April 14, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 /N VEN TOR ATToR/vey Dec 22, 1959 D. R. P. JAcKsoN 2,918,279

APPARATUS FOR PACKING RECTANGULAR BLOCK-SHAPED ARTICLES IN CARTONS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed April 14. 1958 A TTORNE V United States Patent y This invention concerns improvements in apparatus for packing rectangular block-shapedv articles in cartons and is` primarily intended for packing numbers of ciga-` rettepa'ckets in cartons, known in thei trade as outers;

The packets in the example described later are stiff card packets of the` kind known as the hard box type but the invention is not limited tothe packing of these par ticular articles.

According to the invention there is provided apparatus for packing rectangular block-shaped articles in cartons:

comprising a magazine in which carton blanks are stacked on an edge and having a ledge which engages the leading blank near said" edge, a sucker arranged to pull said blank to clear the edge and thereafter to swing the blankfinto contact with a feed roller, an oscillating roller movable into contact with said blank to co-operate with thefeed roller and feed the blank downwards, folding devices" for foldingthe carton blank around a group of packets and` means for moving said group against the bla'nk to foldthe latter into a U about the group as the first stage of the folding operation.

The? blankrriagazine may have a joggling device to cause the blanks to move freely towards the magazine outlet.

The invention will be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of the apparatus, some parts being broken away or sectioned and some omitted for clarity.

Figure 2 is a fragment of Figure l with the parts in a different position;

Figure 3 is asection online 3-3 Figure 1 Figure 4 isa plan of the tucking and folding devices shown in Figure l Figure Shis a plan of an outer blank.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 5, blanks 1 are stacked in a magazine 2, each blank standing on the edge 3, Figure 5, with the inner surface of the blank, i.e. the surface which will ultimately be the interior surface of the outer, facing the outlet of the magazine.` As will be seen from Figure l the blanks stand almost vertically, being supported by a pase plate 4 of the magazine and side guides 80 for controlling the sides of the blank. The upper part of the blank stack is supported by a roller 81 freely mounted on a shaft 16 referred to below. At the sides of the magazine are abutments S3 which engage the blanks near cut-out portions and past which the blanks need to be pulled during feeding.

A sucker 5 is arranged to engage the leading blank near to its lower edge and pull it to enable the edge 3 to move past a small ledge 6, whereafter the sucker swings outwards `and upwards past a rotating feed roiler 7 until it reaches the position shown in chain lines in Figure 2x The result of the sucker movement is to bring the front face of the blank into contact with the roller 7 whereupon a co-operating roller 8 moves into contact with the rear face of the blank and the latter is forthwith fed downwards in a vertical path.

21,918,279 Patented Dec. 22, 1959 In order to assist the necessary forward movement of the stack of blanks towards the feeding position and generally to loosen the blanks so that they feed easily,.the` bottom of the magazine is provided with a joggling device consisting of a pair of strip-like plates 9 supportedon bearers 10 which are in turn supported by shafts 11' which are eccentrically mounted so that as they rotate they give the plates 9 a movement wherein any point on a plate moves through a circle corresponding to the eccentric throw. Thus the blanks are joggled up and down and urged forwards tothe extent vof this movement.

The base plate 4 is slotted to permit the plates 9 to pass through it.`

On the forward shaft 11 is a cam 1'2 which engages a` follower 13 on a cam rod 14, the upper end of the rod being pivoted to a lever 15 which is pivoted on a shaft 16.V The lever 15 is rocked `by the action of the cam 12 in combination with that of a spring 15A. To the shaft 16 isattached another lever 17 which supports the sucker4 S. The other end of the lever 15 is pivoted to a link 18 whose lower end is pivoted to a lever 19 which oscillates" bracket 21 to which is pivoted one arm 22` of a bellcrank" lever to whosejother arm 23 the sucker is fixed. At the bend of the bell-,crank there `is pivoted a rod 24 which is urged upwards by a spring 25 and downwards by a pivoted lever 26 which engages a roller 27 at the top of the rod 24. The lever 26 is pivoted at 28 and oscillated by a cam 29 which engages a follower 30 `on the lever. The operative face of the `lever 26 `its curved as shown and may' thus be regarded as a carni1 the curvature permitting the lever to engage the roller 27 in the desired manner as` the roller itself shares the swinging movement of the lever 17. In the beginning of the sucker action a rocking` movement of the sucker is caused by the movement of the bellcrank lever 22e-23. `It causes the, sucker to impart a fairly sharp bend to the bottom of the blank and thus enables airto pass in between said blank and the next which `helps to ensure positive separation of the blanks. As the rst blank is beingl removed from the magazine the joggling motion feeds the remaining blanks forward and the ledge 6 resists any tendency for the second` blank to be `pulled out by thesuction on the first.

'llieblank is feddownwards in the manner indicated in Figure 2 across the path of a group of packets marked 31. As shown, the packets are superimposed in two rows and there are in the apparatus being described ve packets to each row making ten packets in all. This is the Vusual number when packets each hold twenty cigarettes but, of course, the apparatus can be made to pack any number of packets in any reasonable number of rows.

A pusher 32 which is moved to and fro by a lever 33 pushes the group of packets against the blank, the leading face of the group contacting the panel 34, Figure 5, of the blank. The blank is thus bent into U form as` it moves between a pair of rollers 35 and then between top and bottom plates 3d and 37 of the Vblank folding apparatus. During this movement the small ilaps 46, Figure 5, are folded into Contact with the end faces of the group but the method will be described later. As soon as the group has reached the position Where the group is marked 31A an oscillating tucker 38 pivoted at 39 moves up and folds the flap 40, Figure 5, of the blank so that it lies in Contact with the rear face of the group.` Immediately afterwards a top tucker 41 pivoted at 42 moves down and folds the larger ap 43, Figure 5, so that it overlies the ap 40. In this particular example these ilaps are position shown in Figure 1 and have bent the small flaps 47, Figure 5, so that each flap moves into contact with an end face of the group.

The folders 44 rotate with the shaft 45. The motion is so timed that after they have performed the folding of the flaps 47 the edges 48 of the folders are in such position (i'.e. substantially vertical) that as the next blank is fed and folded tothe U form its fiaps 46 are folded as they contact the edges 48. The flaps 46 of the blank just described have, of course already been folded in this man ner.

As the partly finished carton in engagement with the tuckers 38 and 41 is moved further to the left by the succeeding carton to the position where the packets are marked 31B, the cover flaps 50, Figure 5, encounter fixed folders 59 which bend the flaps to the position shown in Figure 3 and then adhesive is applied to the lower face of the fiaps. Adhesive is applied by an oscillating foot 53 which is pivoted at 54 and has a roller 55 which engages a cam 56. A spring 57 pulls the lever to hold the roller 55 against the cam and the combined effects of cam and spring cause the foot 53 to move into a gum pot 58 and then out and up into contact with the inner face of flap 50. Then folder plates 49 are moved down to complete the folding of the flaps 50 and these fix the aps 46 and 47 in position by adhering to them. Side plates mounted below the folders 60 prevent the folded aps 46 and 47 from moving from their folded position during the carton movement from the position marked 31A to the position marked 31B beneath the folder plates 49. The various moveable tuckers and folders are operated by the devices about to be described with referense also to Figure 4.

The tucker 38 is operated by a cam 61 engaging a roller 62 mounted on the tucker arms 63, a spring 64 urging the roller 62 against the cam.

The tucker 41 is carried on an arm 65 and has a roller 66 at the end remote from the tucker. A plate 67 on an arm 68 pivoted at 69 presses on the roller 66 when the arm 68 is appropriately moved on its pivot 69 by a cam lever 70 having a roller 71 which engages a cam 72. Springs 73 urge the tucker 41 downwards for the ing operation.

The folder plates 49 are also operated by the plate 67 in conjunction with springs 74. As seen in Figure 4 the plates 49 are fixed to levers 75 pivoted at 76 and having rollers 77 at the end remote from the plates. The rollers are pressed by the plate 67 in the same manner as roller 66.

The pusher 32 is guided in its forward movement by a guide 78 over which rides a roller 52 attached to the pusher. The downward dip of the guide permits the pusher to pass between the rollers 35 and carry the group to the position 31A. On the return movement the pusher roller 52 runs over a trap cam 51 to cause the pusher to be raised by movement about a pivot 79 to permit a new group to be fed into position in front of the folding devices. On the forward stroke the roller 52 runs beneath the trap cam which then swings on its pivot 82 in the usual way.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A carton blank feeding device comprising a magazine in which the blanks are stacked on an edge, a sucker adapted to engage a blank near said edge and movable to bend the blank outward from the magazine, feed rollers arranged to engage the bent blank and remove itfrom the magazine, and mechanism for supporting and operating the sucker comprising a first lever, a cam for oscillating said first lever on its pivot, a second lever pivoted to said first lever and to which the sucker is attached, a cam rod pivotally connected to the second lever and slidable in the first lever to rock the second lever on its pivot, a cam and spring for reciprocating said cam rod, and a pivoted cam follower interposed between said cam rod and its operating cam, the pivoted cam follower having a contoured surface engaging the cam rod whereby the sucker motion is determined by the combinationof the oscillation of the first said lever and the reciprocatory movement of the cam rod, the nature of the last said movement being determined by the shape of the cam which operates the cam rod and the shape of the contoured follower which engages the cam rod as the latter swings with the first said lever.

2.v A carton blank feeding device as claimed in claim l wherein the feed rollers comprise a rolle! rotating on a fixed axis and an oscillating roller movable into and vout of contact with the first said roller, whereby the sucker may bend the blank into contact with the first said roller whereafter the oscillating roller may move into contact with the b-lank.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

